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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

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Knorr

(AGOR-15: dp. 1,370; l. 209'; b. 40'; dr. 16'; s. 13 k.; cpl. 26 ; cl. Robert D. Conrad)

Ernest R. Knorr was senior civilian and Chief Engineer Cartographer of the Hydrographic Office from 1860 to 1885. He was largely responsible for the success of the U.S. Navy's first systematic charting and surveying efforts, including the North Pole expedition by Jeannette through the Bering Strait and the Pacific coast surveys by Jamestown and Tuscarora. In 1871 he was cited by the Hydrographer of the Navy for "outstanding ability, and . . . constant and unremitting attention to his duties and the interests of the Office." He later became the first in the United States to advocate worldwide coordination of hydrographic research, publishing in 1879, at his own expense, Memoir on International Cooperation in Maritime Hydrography,

The name Knorr was assigned to AGOR-15 on 8 May 1967. The Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, Mich., began construction of the oceanographic research ship on 3 April 1967 with completion planned for the fall of 1968.

Knorr, an important addition to the Navy's new fleet for ocean research, will gather vital scientific data on the uncharted areas of the sea for the welfare of all peoples throughout the world.

Published: Tue Jul 28 16:07:40 EDT 2015